Check-protector.



' N0.'819,705 PATENTED' MAY 1, 1906.

I C. S. CARRIER.

OHEGK PROTECTOR.

APPLIGATION FILED SEPT. 16, 1905 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1'.

, Court/0nd S. Corn'er. Witnesses U'NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 1, 1906.

Application filed September 16, 1906. Serial No. 278,815.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, COURTLAND'S. OAR- RIER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State ofNebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCheck-Protectors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to check-protecting machines and it is the objectthereof to provide a simple, convenient, and effective device for use inprotecting from alteration checks, money-orders, and the like by markingon the same the amount thereof in such manner that the marking cannotwithout detection be changed to increase the apparent value of thepaper.

My invention consists in the provision, in combination with a suitableplaten, of typewheels having characters thereon of a form adapted toproduce an indented or embossed impression, partly breaking the' fiberof the paper with which they engage, means for rotating the type-wheelsto place in operative position any of the various characters thereon,means for indicating at a convenient location and in their proper orderall the characters placed in operatlve position, an inked ribbon forimpregnating with coloring-matter the broken fibers of aper at theindentation or embosture ro uced by type characters, reversible fee ingmeans for automatically advancing the ribbon at each operation of theplaten, means on the ribbon for indicating to the operator of themachine the contiguity of the end of the ribbon to the typew e els, areversible resilient platen-block,

and certain other novel constructions and arrangements of parts, as willap ear more fully hereinafter, and as shown in the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part hereof.

n the said drawings, Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section of amachine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same withparts broken away. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 4 is atransverse section on line w a: of Fig. 2, and Fi 5 is a detail of aportion of the inked rib on adjacent one end thereof and showing themeans employed forindicating to the operator contiguity of the end ofthe ribbon to the type-wheels.

In the construction shown I provide a subbase 10, to which the main base11 is secured by screws 12. At the rear end of the main base is anupwardly-extending lug 13, with which the platen-arm 14 is pivotallyconnected by the pin 15. A coil-spring 16 is retained in positlon by therounded projections 17 on the base and platen-arm, said spring normallyholding the said arm in raised position and in engagement with thestop-shoulder 18 on the lug 13, as shown. The'said spring is partlyconcealed by the cheek-pieces 19 of the platen-arm, said piecesextending down overv the sides of the base, which are offset to receivethe same.

At the front end of the platen-arm is a head 20, to which the knob 21 issecured by a pin passing through the shank thereof, as shown. In thehead 20 is a transversely-extendin slot in which is held the resilientplatenlock 22, the said block being of octagonal section and having oneface extending below the head, as shown. The block may be withdrawn fromthe slot endwise and turned so as to present for use any one of its fourprincipal faces.

In the base immediately below the platenblock are placed the tylpewheels23, which are arranged to project s ghtly above the upper surface of thebase through a suitab e ogaening) therein, a suitable number of said Weels eing revolubly mounted side by side on the core-pin 24, which isfixedly held in the side lugs 25 on the subbase 10. On approximatelyone-half of the periphery of each of the type-wheels are flat tangentialfaces, on all but one of which characters are formed by a series ofrounded semispherical projections. The remainder of the periphery ofeach of the Wheels is in the form of a toothed gear which meshes withthe teeth on one of the rack-bars 51, one of which bars is provided foreach of the type-wheels. The said rack-bars are slidably held side byside in a suitable bearing formed in the subbaselO and extend throughthe front of the same below the flan e 27 on the main base 11,terminating in t erounded buttons 26, as shown. The length of thetoothed portion of the said rack-bars is made equal to the length of thepitch-line of the gear portion of the typewheels, and the length of thebars in front of the toothed portion is slightly greater than the lengthof the toothed portion.

In each of the type-wheels is a radial recess containing a sprlng-imressed stop-pin 28, the inner pointed end 0 which normally enters one ofthe longitudinally extending grooves 29 in the core-pin 24, as shown inFig. 1. One of said grooves is provided for each of the tangential faceson the Wheels, and the relation of the same is such that when thestop-pin is in engagement with oneof the grooves one of the said faceswill be properly the stop-bar in t alined in operative position at thetop of the wheel below the platen-block 22. The radial recessescontaining the stop-pins are preferably arranged below the depressedblank faces b of the type-wheels, and the relative arrangement of therack-bars and gear portion of the wheels is preferably such that whenthe rack-bars are ushed inwardly against fie subbase said depressedblank faces will be at the top of the wheels, as shown in Fig. 1'. Inthe flange 27 on the main base is a rectangular opening 31, throughwhich a portion of the upper surface of each of the rack-bars may beseen. On that portion of said surfaces visible through said opening whenthe bars are in position shown in Fig. 1 is marked the letter B, thesame serving to indicate that the blank faces I) are then at the top ofthe wheels. 'By reference to Fig. 1 it will be a parent that as each ofthe tangential faces 0 one of the typewheels is brought to the top ofthe wheel a fixed and definite ortion of the rack-bar engaging said wheewill be exposed to view through said opening 31, so that by marking onthe rack-bars at suitable intervals characters corresponding to those onthe faces of the type-wheels the characters on the bars exposed to viewthrough said opening will indicate those characters on the wheels whichare at the top thereof and in operative position. The charactersemployed in the construction shown and the arrangement thereof, startingfrom the'blank face I), are respectively it, ([0,!) (1777 ((2JA'K ((37),((4,), [(5,7) 6,), (7,; 8, and 9, as is clearly shown in Fig. 2, and inFig. 1 the respective faces of the typewheels and spaces on therack-bars are for reference indicated by the same characters.

To prevent the rack-bars from being pulled forwardly so far as todisengage them from' the wheels, the said bars are so proportioned thatwhen they are pulled out farenough to place-the last face, 9, inoperative position at the top of the wheel the first tooth of the rackwill engage the inside of the base adjacent the flange 27 and preventfurther forward movement of the bar. a

Passing over the top of the type-wheels is the inked ribbon 32, the endsof which are rolled upon and attached to the sheet-metal core-sleeves33, said sleeves having inwardlyextending edges forming keys adapted toengage longitudinal grooves in the ribbon-roll shafts 34 and 35. Saidshafts are passed through and journaled in the sides of the base at thepositions shown, being removably retained therein by nuts 36, screwedonto one end thereof. On the o posite ends of the said shafts are therateii turning-knobs 37 integral therewith. Suitable pawl-arms 38 and39, connected with ets 37, having the' the platen-arm, as shown, areengageable with the said ratchets to advance the same one tooth for eachupward stroke of the platen-arm, check-pawls 40 and 41 being provided toprevent backward movement of the ratchets during the downward movementsof the ress-arm. The pawl-arm 38 and both the c eck-pawls may bedisengaged from the ratchets by swinging the same around to a positionsimilar to that of the check-pawl 41. (Shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3.)The pawl-arm 39 may be disengaged from the ratchet by raising the sameby means of the guide-block 42, as disclosed in dotted lines in saidFig. 3. Thus either of the ribbon-roll shafts may be actuated at willand the ribbon fed alternately back and forth in each direction until itis worn out.

As a convenient means for indicating to the operator of the machine thatthe ribbon is nearing its end when traveling in a given direction andthat the direction of feed should be reversed one or more lines ofstitches 44 of thread colored differently from the ribbon are rundiagonally across the same, as shown in Fig. 5, at suitable pointscontiguous to the ends thereof. the ribbon-rolls and place aslighttension thereon, the wire springs 45 are provided, the samebeingattached to the base at suitable positions and the ends thereof restingon the ribbon-rolls, as shown.

To permit the use of all of the type-wheels To prevent overrunning offor marking of numeral characters and when the type-slugs 46 and 47,-each having the dollar-sign ($5) thereon. The slug 46 at the right ofthe wheels is fixed in position and used constantly at the right of thenumeral characters. Theslot holding the slug 47 is made longer than theslug, a boss 48 being formed on theside of the base to permit same, sothat in marking a number containing fewer numeral characters than thenumber of type-wheels said slu'g may be withdrawn from beneath theplaten'block,'which is of a length equal to the width of the ribbon.(Shown in Fig. 4.) 'lo facillitate the moving of the said slug 47, athumb-nail notch 49 is formed therein, as shown, and to retain the slugin either position to which it is moved a pointed spring impressed stoppin 50 is placed in a suitable opening in the base beneath the same, thepointed end of the stoppin normally engaging one of two depressions inthe under side of the slug, as shown in Fig. 4. I

As an example of the operation of the ma-. chine, assume that therack-bars are all in normal positionthat is, pushed inwardly as far aspermitted b the stop-bar 30so that the blank faces I) 0 the type-wheelsare at the top thereof, and it is desired to mark on a check thefollowing: $3846$. Thebutton 26 on the right-hand rack-bar is graspedand the bar pulled out until the number 6 shows through the opening 27.Similarly, the second, third, fourth, and fifth bars are pulled out,until the characters 4, 8, 3, and

it, respectively, are in view through the opening 27, the setting of thedie then being as shown in Fig. 2. The dollar-sign at the right of thenumerals being marked by the fixed slug 46 need not be taken intoaccount in setting the die. The bheck is then placed face down over thediefiformed by the type- Wheels and slugs, the inked ribbon of courselying between the check and die. The platenblock is then by a blow uponthe knob 21 brought forcibly down upon the check and die, so that therounded projections forming the characters on the die indent or embosstheir im ression in the paper,'partly breaking the ber thereof, and thecoloring-matter from the ribbon impregnates the broken fibers so as tomake alteration of the marking practically impossible.

It will be obvious that the machine may be provided with type-wheels andslugs for marking any characters desired and that various minorvariations may be made from the exact construction shown withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention.

Now, having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a suitableplaten of typewheels each having suitable characters on a portion of theperipheral face thereof and gear-teeth on the remainder of said face, abase inclosin said wheels, a subbase, a shaft carried thereby on whichthe type-wheels are revolubly mounted, interengagmg means on the shaftand wheels for retaining the wheels in various redetermined positions,and rackbars slidably held in the subbase, the said rack-bars havingteeth en aging the teeth on the type wheels whereby longitudinalmovement of the rack-bars will rotate the type Wheels.

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a suitablelaten of a plurality of type-wheels each avin suitable characters formedon a portion of t e peripheral face thereof and gear-teeth formed on theremainder of said face, a base inclosing the said wheels, a subbase, ashaft carried thereby on which the wheels are revolubl mounted,interengaging means on the sha and the wheels for retaining the wheelsin redetermined positions, rack-bars slidably field in said subbase,said rack-bars having teeth engaging the teeth on the t e-wheels, andcharacters marked on the rac -bars, sald characters correspondin to thecharacters on the respective type-w eels engaged by the bars, therebeing in the base an o ening through which is exposed one of the caracters on each of the rack-bars, and the arrangement being such thatthe characters so exposed .will indicate the characters in operativeposition on the respective wheels engaged by the bars.

3. In a machine of the class described, a platen, a printing membercomprising a plurality of type-wheels each having characters formed on aportion of the face thereof and gear-teeth on the remainder of saidface, a base inclosing said printing member, a subbase, a shaft carriedthereby on which the type-wheels are revolubly mounted, rackbarsslidably held in the subbase and havlng teeth thereon engaging the teethon the typewheels, and an inked ribbon carried by the base and passingbetween the printing member and the platen, the base carrying the ribbonand platen being removable from the subbase without disturbing the,arrangement of the printing member and rack-bars.

4. In a machine of the class described, a base, ,a die carried thereb aplaten-arm pivotally connected therewith, and a resilient platen-blockheld by said arm adjacent the die, the said platen-block being in theform of a polygonal prism so that by reversing the same with relation tothe platen-arm more ghan one of its faces may be presented to the 5. Ina machine of the class described, the combination with a suitable latenof a printing member comprising a p urality of typewheels, andtype-slugs held adjacent said wheels, one of said type-slugs beingmovable parallel with the axis of the type-wheels, and

the type wheels and slugs having characters thereon formed by series ofrounded projections adapted to indent or emboss paper pressed thereon.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto sub scribed my name in the presenceof two witnesses.

COURTLAND S. CARRIER. Witnesses:

D. O. BARNELL, S. WEAVER.

